Tragedy
by Morijun
Summary: She was the one who ran away. He was the one who was left behind. It just happened on two different weddings. AU. SasuHina.
1. Prologue

******Disclaimer: **Naruto isn't mine.

* * *

**Tragedy**

**Prologue**

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_When the feeling's gone and you can't go on…_

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"_Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join two souls in holy matrimony…"_

The words of the priest blurred into the background of the deafening silence. Louder and louder, the oppressive sound of it resonated in her ears, clogging her senses. It was becoming difficult to breath.

"…as your wife, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part?"

"I do."

The sound of his voice penetrated the fog clouding her brain. She snapped her head to the side and looked. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned to her as well.

Gently, his eyes crinkling at the corners, he smiled.

There was a faint whistling sound in her ears, slowly becoming more pronounced. Although she dreaded to hear more, the sound wasn't loud enough to drown the priest's next words.

"…take this man, as your husband, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part?"

The place grew silent, so silent that should a needle fall, it would echo throughout. Excitement charged the stillness. Everyone was anticipating the bride's answer with bated breaths.

_What was she doing here?_

Her breathing was becoming shallower and shallower by the second. What would the answer be?

At the back, someone coughed painfully. Vaguely, an image of a fat man who was suffering with a cold passed her mind's eye. She remembered he was standing at the entrance earlier.

A baby started to cry. Several shushing sounds followed. Silence.

_Again, what was she doing here…_

"Hinata..."

…_in this place filled with people…_

"Are you okay?"

…_people she didn't even know personally?_

A large hand squeezed her small one. With a start, she turned, her eyes wide with surprise.

"I…" Oh, that's right. She was getting married.

This was her wedding.

It was her answer they were all waiting for.

The bride's answer they were all waiting for.

She was the bride.

"I…" Her groom smiled at her, encouraging. She blinked and faced the priest who was looking at her curiously through the rim of his spectacles.

Her heart pounded within her chest, threatening to explode with the rate it was going.

_What was she doing here again?_

She swallowed, feeling her throat hurt with the process.

"I…"

Dimly, the day he had proposed came flashing back in her mind. It was the happiest day of her life, she remembered. It had taken him three years to finally ask her to marry him and when he finally did, her euphoria was so great, it took a few weeks for her feet to touch the earth again.

With a jolt, she also remembered that she loved him.

Yes, she loved him.

His hand, so much larger than her own, warmed her cold and clammy one. She let go. Her hand fell back at her side.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Hinata, what…?"

"I…I c-can't. I'm sorry."

The collective gasp from the people at the church was so loud that the birds nesting at the high ceiling flew in a panic. There was a moment of silence and then everyone was talking all at once. Some were outraged; others were taking it as an elaborate joke, while most were simply confused.

She didn't care about them.

Amidst all the ensuing chaos, her attention remained solely on him.

His face was a myriad of emotions. Confusion, fear, love, betrayal, anger... She saw all these fight for dominance in his expression.

Yet the one that stood out, the one that squeezed at her heart so, was the pain she saw.

She had hurt him. The person she loved. She had hurt the person she loved and she couldn't bear it.

With a small shudder of oncoming tears, she gathered her billowing white skirt and petticoats, and started to run; down the aisle, through the throng of confused people, and finally outside the giant oak doors of the church.

The roar of her heart thundered in her ears, the sound of her erratic breathing mixing with the noise.

She wanted to go far away from this place… Away from the angry people, away from the noise.

_I'm sorry Kiba._

Yes, she loved him.

But there was a tiny voice in her soul that doubted her feelings…

And it was that small whisper of uncertainty that prevented her from saying those two simple words that would have now made her a wife.

The pain in his face had wracked her with guilt. She didn't want to hurt him yet she didn't want to lie to him either.

Marrying him would have been a lie. It would be unfair to them both.

A sob escaped her lips.

Yes, she loved him…

And it wasn't enough.

.

.

* * *

…_It's Tragedy_

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**Author's Notes:**

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	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Naruto isn't mine.

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**Tragedy**

**Chapter 1**

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_She knew there was a reason she didn't want to have a wedding on a large old church atop a pretty hill overlooking the sea._

Hinata, still in her white wedding dress with its infernal petticoats, clutched the stitch on her side. She felt like she had just participated in a marathon. The distance certainly felt like it.

Back at the church, it had seemed a good idea to run until she was sure no one would be following her. Now she knew it definitely wasn't the brightest.

Panting, she turned to look back. No one had followed her, which was good.

Only now, she didn't know where on earth she was, which was bad.

With shaky hands, she gingerly touched her swollen ankle. She had fallen earlier on her mad dash and twisted it. Running in high heeled shoes wearing a dress with a humungous skirt was no simple feat to accomplish. The movies made it look easy.

Then again, everything looked easy in the movies. It even made running from one's own wedding appear simple.

Runaway brides looked graceful in it, as they condemned their grooms to a lifetime of shame, to a lifetime of forever being branded as _the_ tragically jilted; and they didn't look even a bit remorseful for it. In the movies, these brides always had somewhere to go to… Someone to run to.

A secret lover who was a magazine writer or even a superhero who dressed in tights.

But she, Hinata, looked _and_ felt nothing like those brides in the movies.

For one thing, she didn't feel graceful. She knew she didn't make a great exit too. Not one minute into the run and she had fallen on her face. Now she had an ankle the size of a golf ball and she felt miserable.

To top it all off, she was hopelessly lost. The pretty hill top where the big old church was happened to be on some remote town she couldn't remember the name of.

A gust of cold wind blew past her, coming from the direction of the sea. Hinata shivered.

She had nowhere to go and no one to run to. The only person who had ever loved her probably hated her now. Maybe he didn't even want to ever lay eyes on her again. She had made a muck of things, all because she couldn't say two simple words.

Tears started falling from her eyes.

Guilt was pounding so mercilessly on her conscience she could hear it ringing in her ears. What had she done?

* * *

Sasuke hissed in annoyance as the black Labrador once again yanked on the leash he was holding. The pain shooting up his arm made him remember why he wasn't always keen on taking the dog out.

They were on their way home back from the town. His brother had called earlier to let him know of the package he needed to pick-up at the post office. He gave a thoughtful look at it, safely tucked under his arms. From the shape and size, it was probably another set of books his control freak of a brother wanted him to review for the company. It wasn't as if there was anything better to do in this town so he hadn't complained so far.

The red tiled roof of his small house came into view amidst the gathering dark clouds in the horizon. It was going to rain again, which was becoming more frequent as summer ended.

Sasuke hastened his footsteps, remembering the laundry he had set out to dry earlier. A gust of cold wind blew past him, coming from the direction of the sea. Absentmindedly, he turned to look out over the sandy beach.

It was at that instant, when the wind was at its strongest, that he saw her.

She was doing nothing; she wasn't even moving. She was _there_, standing, her back to him. He probably wouldn't have noticed her at all if not for her white dress which seemed to almost glow in the growing darkness caused by the oncoming storm.

It was an eerie sight to behold.

The girl in the gleaming white dress, her skirt billowing in the breeze-petticoats and all-just stood there and did nothing.

The image she portrayed tickled a memory buried deep in his mind. Belatedly, he realized that she was a bride.

Sasuke felt goosebumps pepper his skin. Is she planning to drown herself? He wondered.

More importantly, what was a bride even doing standing outside her wedding?

He pursed his lips. It wasn't his problem.

Shrugging, he continued on his way.

* * *

Hinata stared listlessly at the angry waves. The sound of it crashing against the shore calmed her frayed nerves. Here, the noise of the sea drowned out any sound echoing within her.

The shout of her guilt and the beat of her pounding heart were dulled. It was a false sense of peace. But she would take anything she could get.

The adrenaline from her mad flight earlier was gone from her veins. Now she just couldn't feel anymore. Her temples were throbbing, and she was sure her eyes looked swollen. It _felt_ swollen.

More than that, her chest was constricting, contracting in itself. Her mind may no longer be bothering her with its screams of guilt but she was still feeling it.

She was feeling guilty and rotten all at once. Right now, she couldn't even compare to an insect.

For the hundredth time, she wondered why she had agreed to marry him.

_She loved him._

But if that were true, why had she run away? In the end, regardless of any feelings she may have had for him, she couldn't go through with it.

A shuddering sob escaped her parted lips. Fresh hot tears fell from her eyes, the trail they left on her smooth cheeks immediately cooling with the breeze.

Her twisted ankle throbbed with pain and her tired stilettoed feet refused to hold her up anymore. Tiredly, she let herself drop on her bottom, the springy material on her gown cushioning her fall.

The loud roll of thunder went unnoticed by her, as was the sudden drop in temperature. Instead her mind was on how she should proceed. Where should she go? What could she do to make amends to Kiba? How must she apologize? Would he ever want to see her again?

Hinata bit her lip and covered her face with her gloved hands. Her shoulders shook. He probably wouldn't want to.

She didn't have anyone. Her father would surely disown her, now that she had _finally_ disgraced the Hyuuga clan.

On her way out of the church, she had managed to get a glimpse of him. He had looked murderous. Half of the reason why she had ran like the devil was because she was afraid he'd run after her himself. She didn't even want to think of what would have happened if he had caught up to her.

A house to return to was also out of the question since she didn't have one of her own. Everything she possessed, from the clothing she wore everyday to the books she so loved to read, all came from her father's money. The only things that didn't come from him were the small trinkets Kiba had given her and the wedding gown she was now wearing. Even then, with the awful things she had done to Kiba, she had no right to claim his gifts.

She wasn't sure she had the courage to face him, much less have the guts to ask for his forgiveness. Certainly, she knew she didn't deserve to be forgiven.

She can't run to her friends because she didn't have any. The only 'friends' she had were the ones introduced by Kiba, so they weren't really her friends, but his.

Maybe her sister, Hanabi, might help her. But Hanabi was also reliant on their father, and young still. Hinata didn't want their father's ire directed towards her younger sister. Her cousin Neji would probably help her but he had gone away on an errand by her father. Then again, there was his girlfriend, Tenten, who Hinata rather got along with…

But she had no way of contacting them both (she just knew she should have memorized their numbers). Probably, she could send an email to them, but how? She didn't have money to speak of.

A distant rumble of the oncoming storm came from the sea.

What would she do with herself now?

It was the question of the century.

* * *

Sasuke poured himself a cup of hot coffee and settled down on his study. His brother had sent an unusually large number of books. He had better get started on those so he could send his report before a new batch of records arrives.

He took a swig of coffee, opened one of the thick volumes and began to read.

Well into reading, he noticed that his eyes were straining more than usual. Blinking, he realized that he had neglected to switch the study light on, again.

Cursing mildly, he groped around for the switch. The sudden onslaught of brightness made him squint until his eyes adjusted to the light.

Light reflecting on the surface of the book's white pages caught his attention. Unbidden, the image of the bride from earlier with her glowing white dress, flashed in his mind.

_A bride without a groom._

The description his mind supplied made him scoff. For all he knew, she probably wasn't even a true bride. Maybe she was just some girl from town that decided stealing her mother's wedding gown would be fun.

It wasn't his business anyway. He had nothing to do with those kinds of things. Not anymore.

An image of another girl, also wearing a wedding gown, rose up from his mind. Her white train fluttering behind her…

Sasuke gritted his teeth. _Don__'__t __even __go __there_, he shook his head. Discarding all thoughts about gowns and brides from his mind, he concentrated on the book he had been reading with renewed effort.

He had succeeded too, until a whining sound came from the living room and disturbed his train of thought. He paused, wondering what the dog wanted but opted to ignore it for the moment. For a few minutes, Sasuke managed to continue with his work undisturbed.

The whining came again, this time accompanied with a scratching sound.

His patience snapped. "Fine," Sasuke stood up and went to the living room, "you got my attention."

The black Labrador was looking at him expectantly. "What do you want now?" Sasuke grumbled, crossing his arms. It whined again and scratched the door.

"No, you can't go outside," The dog continued whining and scratching the door, all the while looking at him expectantly. Sasuke shook his head in disgust. "It's going to rain soon."

The dog ignored him.

He gave up and sighed. Dogs just don't live up to their reputation as man's best friend anymore. Walking to the kitchen, he started to pour another round of coffee. Outside, the continuous rumble of a brewing storm can be heard.

In the living room, the stupid mutt was still whining and scratching away on the door. It was odd behavior since the dog usually hid under Sasuke's bed whenever there were signs of oncoming storms. Now it wanted to go out? It had always been a sort of cowardly dog, so what's the problem?

The mug was halfway full when a thought occurred to him. There was the girl standing on the beach earlier…

He turned to look outside through the window. It was quickly getting dark because of the gathering rain clouds. She couldn't still be standing there.

Could she?

The incessant whimpering and scratching coming from the living room suddenly unsettled him. The seashore was a dangerous place during a storm. What if…?

Slamming his coffee mug down, Sasuke went upstairs and got his rain slicker. An onslaught of morbid curiosity assaulted him, making him hurry to get outside. Upon opening the door, his dog was out like a shot and quickly disappeared from his sight. Cursing, he locked his door. With quick strides, Sasuke traced his steps from earlier up to where he had seen the girl.

The current of air from the sea made it a bit hard to walk straight. He had had to hunch and brace himself against the wind to avoid falling sideways.

It was tough going but eventually, he arrived at the spot.

Sure enough, she was there. The glow of her white gown was like a beacon in the gloom. Goosebumps rose on his skin again. She really looked like a ghost and if not for the silhouette of his darn dog dancing around her like crazy, Sasuke could have sworn she was only a figment of his imagination.

All this time, she had remained rooted at that spot, even though it was evidently going to rain hard? Sasuke swore under his breath. The girl was insane.

Moreover, _he_ was insane. She probably wanted to drown and die. He shouldn't interfere. But…

_Damn it all to hell._

Gritting his teeth, he urged himself forward. He was here already so he might as well try to stop her.

She didn't move even when he was directly beside her. Her eyes were empty, as if their owner was far away. Tear streaks lined her porcelain cheeks.

The picture she made struck a chord in his mind. He had seen that look before but he couldn't remember where or from whom.

His Labrador whined and licked her face. Sasuke watched silently as a gloved hand slowly came up and touched a cheek. She blinked a few times, as if only then awakening from a dream.

The dog whined once more and thrust his muzzle on her chest, asking to be petted. Again, she reacted slowly and took her time to touch the furry head.

"You're not afraid of him." Sasuke couldn't help himself to say.

Her reaction was instantaneous. She was up and backing away faster than he could say 'die!' He raised an eyebrow. She wasn't afraid of a large dog, yet it would seem she was afraid of him.

A thunder clap exploded in the dark sky. Sasuke gazed over to the sea. It also appeared she wasn't afraid of storms.

Strange.

"W-who are y-you?"

He turned to her and noticed she had managed to put a considerable distance between them. Sasuke shrugged. "I could ask you the same. You're not from around here."

"I'm…"

She was conflicted, Sasuke saw. It was obvious she didn't want to say anything, which was fine because it wasn't really his business to know. Standing here and talking to her was already taking things too far. He didn't want to get further involved in whatever mess she was in.

He would just say his piece and leave quickly.

"A storm's coming." He stated briskly. "Unless you're planning on drowning yourself, you should go back home."

She flinched at the last word. "I c-can't."

The wind was picking up. It was getting hard to hear her. "Then go somewhere else. It's not safe here."

"Y-you don't u-understand," she began, "I c-can't go back."

He was going nowhere with this. Sasuke could feel his patience wearing thin. "Listen lady. A storm's coming," he repeated, "if you have a death wish then by all means, stay." He glared at his dog. "You. Come here."

The stupid dog whined and sat down near the girl's feet. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke stomped forward and grabbed the dog's collar. "We're going home. Now." He yanked.

The animal whimpered. Sasuke was succeeding at pulling the mutt along when the girl spoke.

"W-wait!"

He glanced back. She was slowly walking towards him, her white dress being whipped to and fro by the gusts of wind. Involuntarily, he felt a third wave of goosebumps on his skin.

When she was near enough, he raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"P-please take me with you." She said.

Sasuke could only blink.

_What?_

_._

_._

_._

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**A/N:**

And so, the first chapter is out. Finally. A great many thanks to all those who reviewed the prologue. I will endeavor not to disappoint you guys!

Special thanks and a mention goes to **neon****flux**, a very close friend of mine. She was the one who persuaded me to get out of my self-imposed limbo and get on with it. Go check her stories out!

Review please!


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Naruto isn't mine.

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**Tragedy**

**Chapter 2**

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_He shouldn't have gotten involved._

This mantra kept repeating itself in his mind as he waited outside his bathroom, holding a towel and set of dry clothes.

She had asked him, begged him even, if she could stay with him. At first he had dismissed her plea as a joke and was even mad. Then she had asked him again, this time with tears in her eyes.

He couldn't refuse her then.

Grudgingly, he had agreed to take her in, but _only_ until the storm had passed; after that, it's out with her.

Before the two of them reached the shelter of his house, it had started raining in earnest. He hadn't been affected much since he was wearing a rain slicker but she had been soaked. For all its voluminous quality, the material of her gown was surprisingly flimsy.

Beside him, his black Labrador wagged its tail. He looked down and sneered at it, "This is your fault you know. I've half the mind to let you starve tonight." The dog gazed up at him, tongue lolling out.

He sighed. Who was he kidding? He did this all on his own. Sasuke frowned.

"Um…"

A little surprised, Sasuke looked up and saw the girl looking at him from the slightly ajar bathroom door.

"D-do you h-have…? I-I mean, c-can I…?" She was blushing hugely and seemed to be having a hard time getting her point across.

He blinked at her bemusedly for a few moments, noting the rawness of her nose as well as her red rimmed eyes. Belatedly, he remembered the clothes he was holding.

"Here," he cut her off mid stutter and handed the things to her.

It was her turn to blink. "Th-thank you." She smiled and took the package.

A bit of creamy skin peeked at him when she moved to reach out. He averted his eyes, feeling himself flush a little. "T-tch. Just don't take too long in there; you might drown in the tub." He said grumpily, trying to cover his embarrassment.

She giggled lightly. "I w-won't."

As soon as the door closed, Sasuke smacked his forehead, turning to go to the kitchen. _Drown __in __the __tub?_ How much lamer could he get? Jeez, he really needed to socialize more with people.

He grabbed the mug he had left earlier and stared absentmindedly at the dark liquid. Come to think of it, he had been in this small town a little over a year already. The last he had seen of his brother was on that day he decided to leave the city.

A day he would rather sooner forget than remember.

Leaning on the counter, he drank from the mug and grimaced. The coffee got cold. He turned and started to pour another cup, freshly brewed this time. The rich aroma of the drink filled the small kitchen and he inhaled appreciatively.

The rich flavor of the coffee was already on his lips when she entered the periphery of his vision. Focused completely on the taste, he turned to face her and immediately wished he hadn't. He couldn't help the swift intake of his breath. Unfortunately for him, that intake of breath included the coffee he had been drinking.

Sasuke coughed, his eyes watering from the sting of the coffee going down his air pipe.

She was wearing _his_ clothes.

The shirt totally engulfed her small frame; its neckline was too wide for her slender neck. It was also too long for her; the hem reaching halfway down her thighs...

Her creamy white thighs.

The boxer shorts he had also given her completely failed to cover the expanse of her legs. He had thought that his boxers would be enough for her but he guessed he had misjudged her proportions.

Earlier, her gown had made her look small and tiny. Well, she still was small and tiny outside of it.

Only, for someone as short as her, she sure had _legs_.

She fidgeted at the threshold of his kitchen. Still slightly ill from his choking match with the coffee, Sasuke's watering eyes were riveted to her tiny feet… and her swollen ankle.

"A-are you alright?" she asked uncertainly.

Realizing that he had been staring at her, Sasuke averted his eyes. "Yes," he cleared his throat, "the coffee gave up."

She made a sound close to a laugh. "Um…Thank y-you again, f-for the c-clothes and for letting me s-stay here."

Sasuke sighed. "Don't thank me yet. Didn't I say that I'll throw you out once the storm blows over?" He raised an eyebrow.

"S-still, I thank y-you, um mister…?"

"Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke," he waved his hand dismissively, "just 'Sasuke' is fine."

"T-then you may also c-call me Hinata." She bowed.

Both his eyebrows rose up upon her casual show of formality.

"Right." He cleared his throat again. "More importantly," he gestured to her swollen ankle, "we should see to that ankle of yours. Sit here, I'll get the first aid kit."

He didn't wait for her response but immediately went to the bathroom where he knew he last saw said kit. Upon opening the door, the sight of her drenched wedding gown greeted him. She had hanged it to dry on the towel rack. For some reason that he couldn't fathom, the sight of it unnerved him. Quickly, he closed the bathroom door, gripping the handle of the first aid kit tightly in his hand.

The wedding gown also got him curious about Hinata. What was she doing there on the beach?

Back at the kitchen, Sasuke found her sitting on one of the dining chairs. She was occupied with scratching the ears of his dog, its head resting on her lap.

His arrival made her look up. "Your dog is very friendly." She stated softly.

"So he is," Sasuke agreed in disgust, feeling as though he had been betrayed for some reason.

She resumed scratching the dog's ears. "What's his name?"

"Shiro."

At that, she paused. Hinata blinked up at him. "…Um… B-but he's black."

"So he is." He deadpanned.

She blinked again but wisely chose not to comment on his peculiar choice of name. A sad smile slowly appeared on her lips. "I too had a dog at home. His name is Akamaru."

So that would explain her lack of appropriate terror when she saw Shiro earlier. "Hn. Let me see your ankle." He sat on the floor in front of her and gingerly lifted her foot on his knee. From afar, the distended joint looked bad but up close, the swelling looked even worse. Sasuke gently pressed the flesh.

Her muffled gasp made him glance up at her. "It looks pretty bad but I think a compress should do the trick." He said.

She nodded silently and watched him work on her ankle. It took a few minutes but he finally managed to put a decent bandage on it. "You probably shouldn't lean too much on this foot for a while." He advised.

"Thank you…" she whispered, unsure how to continue. _For __letting __me __stay __and __for __lending __me __your __clothes __and __for __helping __me __with __my __ankle, __even __if __I__'__m __a __total __stranger. _"For everything," she finished.

He leveled her a look and Hinata felt like his dark gaze can see through her soul. He probably wasn't aware that he was staring a tad longer than necessary. She fidgeted, uncomfortable with the attention.

Sasuke wanted to ask her what she was doing down at the shore. The question was at the tip of his tongue when sanity once again settled on his mind. "Have you eaten?" he asked instead.

"N-not yet." Hinata was unsure if that was what he really wanted to ask. It sounded as if he had changed the question right before it left his lips.

He stood up and Hinata had to look up. She hadn't realized he was this tall, perhaps even taller than Kiba, give or take a few inches. "I'll prepare something then." He mentioned as he made his way about the kitchen.

Shiro whined for attention beside her. Absently, Hinata scratched behind his ears and watched Sasuke's back as he puttered with the stove. It was a little odd that he haven't yet asked any questions about her. In fact, he had not asked anything. He didn't even ask her name as she was the one who had volunteered it.

But back on the beach, there had been something in his expression. Even though she was beset by her own emotions then – and still was – Hinata had been able to see it. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was exactly but maybe if she saw it again…

Anyway, it was a moot point since she wouldn't be staying for longer than a day as he himself had made it quite clear he would boot her out once the storm passed.

She was staring at him; Sasuke could feel her gaze boring into his back. He was starting to get a bit irritated with her and was about to call her on it when her voice piped up next to him.

"Can I h-help?"

Now, she was standing beside him, close enough that Sasuke was able to smell the familiar scent of his soap on her skin and hair, mixed with a decidedly unfamiliar but feminine fragrance. "What are you m-making, Sasuke-san?" She asked as she leant closer to inspect the ingredients he was chopping.

_Too __close! __A __little __to o__close!_ His mind screamed at him as he tried to lean away from her. The knife he was using slipped.

Sharp pain exploded on his finger. "Damnit!" He exclaimed, startling Hinata.

Her eyes widened at the steady flow of blood rushing out from his index finger. She couldn't help the wash of guilt she felt as she watched him put his injured appendage under the flow of tap water, mumbling muffled curses all the while.

Sasuke winced as he watched the red tint from the water slowly ebb. Closing the tap, he moved to wrap his finger on a towel hanging by the fridge when a gentle hand stopped him. He managed not to jump with surprise but his heart went to a sputtering stop, only to double up right after.

She was too damn close again. He tried to tug his hand free from her grasp. "P-please," her guilty tone made him stop his efforts, "let m-me."

Bemused, he watched her take an adhesive bandage from the first-aid kit he had left on the counter. She was holding his hand so gently that he wondered if she was holding it at all. Slowly, she wrapped the bandage on his cut finger.

Her hands tightened minutely on his. "I'm s-sorry, it's my fault. I-if I hadn't startled you…" Hinata said, looking at her handiwork. She had only wanted to help but unintentionally caused Sasuke to cut himself. Hinata bit her lip. And then… she had only wanted to be fair to Kiba but had unintentionally hurt him and her family in the process. "It seems that I'm h-hurting a lot of people lately." She whispered, more to herself than to him.

She held his hand like that for a while, both silent with thoughts running through their minds. When she looked up, it was to find a pair of dark brooding eyes gazing at her intently.

Now, more than ever, Sasuke wanted to ask why she was there earlier on the beach. It was obvious that she had been crying, the question was 'why?' What was the deal with her wearing a wedding gown? At the back of his mind, a vague notion started to form but he refused to let it take shape. It wasn't his business to know. Come morning, she would be out of his life and everything would go back to normal.

Hinata watched as curiosity fleeted on his face until his eyes narrowed and his expression became closed off. Abruptly, he lifted his hand free from hers and silently turned back to the counter to resume his chopping.

Feeling unsure and more than a little awkward, Hinata fidgeted on her spot. "You can boil the water needed for the soup." He told her, still chopping away.

"Um…O-okay." _Boiling __water__…_ It wasn't really much in way of helping but at least he wasn't mad at her.

* * *

Dinner was a silent affair. Neither of them felt the need to talk.

Well, actually, Sasuke didn't seem to want to talk so Hinata wisely remained quiet. Truth be told, Hinata wasn't used to silence during meals since back at the mansion, she, Hanabi and their cousin Neji, would always share stories while they ate. Sometimes, when her father would join them, it would be silent, much like what was happening now, but mostly it was a lively affair.

Without saying a word, Sasuke got up and proceeded to clean up. Surprised that he had finished his meal quickly, Hinata hurriedly followed his example and stood up as well.

"What are you doing?" he asked from his place in front of the sink.

Her hand stilled in the process of lifting her plate. She looked up at him, "H-helping..." she answered uncertainly.

His eyes landed on her plate then back at her. "You're not done."

She smiled awkwardly. It was true. Her plate was only halfway empty but she didn't want to appear rude. She was only a guest after all.

"I'm a fast eater." His curt explanation broke the silence. "I won't mind if you finish your food." There was a tinge of amusement in his tone.

"O-okay." She sat back down, gratefully. She really was still hungry and the food he prepared wasn't half bad either. Hinata studied his turned back thoughtfully as he busied himself with rinsing his plate.

He was a little like her cousin, Hinata thought. Like him, Neji always cleaned his dishes right after using them. Her fiancé (ex-fiance, her mind corrected), on the other hand, always left dirty dishes lying on his counter. It took weeks before dishes became clean in his house and that was only because he would run out of clean dishes to use, so he had no other choice but to wash them or if she herself washed them for him.

Kiba. She wondered what he was doing now.

Her eyes held that glassy look again, Sasuke observed. He had finished with the dishes and held a towel in his hands, drying them with it. His mind was already preoccupied with the documents he left back on his study when he chanced a last glance at her.

Food totally forgotten, she had that distant expression on her face; like that she had sported back at the beach. The urge to know what she was thinking was so overwhelming that he had to harshly remind himself, again, that he wasn't in any position to ask, now or anytime for that matter.

To that end, he spoke, just to keep her mind away from whatever it was on at the moment, and to save him from his own curiosity, "If you're done, you can clean after yourself or leave it on the sink." It came out gruffer than he had intended.

Her eyes focused on him and she nodded absently.

He considered her for what felt to Hinata like eternity. Finally, satisfied with whatever it was he found, he left. She watched his retreating form and then the doorway he disappeared to.

She found her reluctant host a lot like her cousin in his reticence. But there was also something about him that she couldn't quite place.

Hinata stared absently at her half finished food and thought to herself.

* * *

Sasuke knew that he had been reading too long when the letters on the page he'd been studying started to wriggle. He blinked, taking off his reading glasses and then pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.

A glance at the clock told him he'd been at it for more than three hours. His protesting eyes made it more than clear that he couldn't use them anymore without resting them first.

Leaning back, he stretched and considered foregoing a shower in favor of going to sleep. He rolled this idea in his head a bit and decided that he's shower first _then_ sleep. He cleared his itchy throat. But a cup of water was in order before anything else.

Sasuke lumbered down the stairs, stretching the kinks in his leg muscles from sitting too long, before he remembered his guest who was probably already sleeping on the couch. He had given her a pillow and an extra blanket earlier, allowing her free reign of his couch for the rest of the night. Briefly, he had entertained the idea of letting her use his bed but had dismissed the idea as too familiar – and too noble – for his taste.

Plus, he needed his study tonight, which was located inside his bedroom.

Padding softly inside his kitchen, he opened his fridge and took a pitcher of water, noting as he went the sparse food stuffs left inside. He had to go out tomorrow then…

Wiping his mouth, he returned the pitcher inside and went back the way he came. His foot was effectively up on a step when he heard soft snuffling coming from the living room. Blinking, he slowly turned around to investigate.

If his brain hadn't been too used up by his excessive reading earlier, he would have had to presence of mind to immediately know what that sound meant. But unfortunately for Sasuke, he didn't have that sharpness that night and it was too late for him to turn back once he saw her.

She was huddled in the middle of the cushy sofa, the thick blanket he had leant her swamping her whole body. From the way she was hunched, he could tell that she was hugging her knees inside the fleece. As it was, the only visible part of her face, and even that was partly hidden by the cascade of her raven hair.

And the snuffling was most definitely coming from her.

From the way her shoulders were shaking, it was difficult for Sasuke to mistake that sniffing sounds as her catching a cold.

A hiccup echoed in the silence of the living room, ringing in Sasuke's ears. _No, __definitely __not __a __cold._

The taste of the water he just drank suddenly evaporated on his tongue. Should he show himself and possibly…_comfort_ her? But how? He didn't even know the reason why she was like this and he very much doubted she'd tell him.

Not that he wanted to know. Just…

Sasuke sighed. Forget it. Again, it was none of his business.

Not at all.

* * *

Morning didn't come as fast as Sasuke would have liked.

He glared morosely at his coffee mug, the area around his eyes purplish. He didn't get enough sleep last night, between thinking about his crying guest just below his bedroom and the leaking ceiling directly above his bed, plus the howling of the winds outside the windows. It was a good thing he had the foresight to barricade them with planks the day before, or we was sure they would have come off the hinges during the storm.

And Hinata, being quite chipper in the morning with only slightly – really, it was barely noticeable – swollen eyes, made Sasuke's mood sour even more. To think she was the one crying her eyes out the night before…

"Good morning Sasuke-san," she immediately greeted him once he entered the kitchen, looking worn out but not the worse for wear. She was preparing breakfast.

"Urgh." Sasuke articulated, making a bee line for the coffee maker. He needed caffeine in the mornings to wake him up.

They didn't talk during breakfast, which consisted of omelets and toasts. It was rather good, considering Hinata only knew how to cook this and one other dish.

After the silent meal, Sasuke excused himself to go freshen up. Hinata went to tidy up the kitchen, knowing that Sasuke intended to do them himself later, but since she had nothing else to do, did them herself.

He came down later, a little more composed and less grumpy. It didn't take long for them to settle everything and soon they were on their way to town.

Hinata started thinking again. Dreading of things to come. She didn't have any money on her person, and she didn't want to ask anymore of Sasuke. She fingered the material of the drawstring pants she was wearing. He gave them to her that morning, along with a clean shirt, to replace the ones she wore the night before.

He had done enough to help her, when he didn't even know her. Letting her stay at his house was a brief respite from the disaster that she caused yesterday. She was a fool to think that she could escape reality for long.

When Hinata's thoughts cleared and she was able to once again focus on reality, she was outside of Sasuke's car and he was telling her something.

"Are you sure you're okay here?"

She blinked. "Y-yes!" Remembering her manners, she bowed deeply. "Thank you for your kindness." Sasuke looked at her funny and shrugged.

_Kami, __where __did __this __girl __come __from?_ Her prim and proper manners discomfited him for some reason. Probably because it reminded him of his always proper brother?

Anyway, Sasuke had manners too. What do you say when someone thanks you again? _Ah__… _"You're welcome." He said in a monotone. She smiled and bowed again as he proceeded to slowly drive away.

He could see her waving from the rear view mirror and he found himself frowning. He wondered what she would do. It didn't seem like she had anything on her besides the gown. He didn't want to admit it but he was a little worried about her. _Tch. __Whatever._ It's not his business. He had done his good deed. That was that.

Now he could get back on track. First things first, he needed to buy supplies to fix his leaking roof. He turned a corner and couldn't help glancing back at the woman he just left behind.

Hinata watched the red SUV drive away, feeling a sense of abandonment. She shook herself from it, thinking herself silly. She wasn't really abandoned… they weren't even acquainted.

Looking around, she realized he had dropped her off to a bus stop. She vaguely recalled requesting him to do just that on the way here. She must have been more out of it than she thought.

Picking up the paper bag with her gown, she approached a bench and sat down. A breeze blew past, lifting her dark tresses away from her face. The bus stop was deserted. Could she have missed the bus? She looked uncertainly about her.

_Now what?_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

**A/N:**

**Shiro** means 'white'. Initially, I wanted to make Shiro a Rottweiler (they're just so cute and cuddly!), but I already published the first chapter Shiro's already a Labrador there, so I stuck with it.

I also seem to be getting a lot of formatting errors for this chapter, so if you guys see strange words or letters bumped together, please just let me know and I'll fix it.

I really like where this story is going, so review please! To all those who reviewed the first two chapters, thanks a lot!


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Naruto isn't mine.

* * *

**Tragedy**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_The answer came in the form of orange and blonde._

Hinata was sitting on a bench near the bus stop, contemplating on selling or trading her gown, bundled neatly in a paper bag, for a ticket home. She had learned from Sasuke that this village was called Shima. She had been so conflicted during the wedding preparations (and she didn't have a say in anything really) that the name of the place didn't stick with her. She knew however that Shima was 2 to 3 hours away from Konoha by plane.

Maybe if she could somehow make money out of her gown, then she could buy a plane ticket back to Konoha. She didn't know what awaited her there. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to come back…

A particularly sharp breeze made her shiver in her thin shirt and frayed sweatpants, all given to her by Sasuke. Hinata hugged herself and rubbed her arms. Konoha was looking more pleasant than having nowhere to stay at all.

However, would her father even let her stay in their home when she returned? Hinata remembered his forbidding expression during her mad dash out of the church and cringed. On second thought, maybe being homeless was preferable to being subjected to her father's wrath…

It was during this internal battle she heard a loud and familiar voice shout her name. She looked down the road and saw a spot of orange and yellow yelling from the window of a taxi cab. As the cab came closer, she was a little surprised to see Naruto waving frantically in it. She had known that he was at the wedding, but was a little bemused that he had stayed long enough on the island to catch her.

She watched as he told something to the driver, hastily got out, and approach her. A faint twinge echoed dully in her heart, like an old wound that had scarred over but still hurt when the skin was pulled.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered.

Naruto was her first love. And he was her first heartache. She gave up on him when it became clear to her that he wouldn't ever return her feelings and only saw her as a friend. He's a common friend of hers and Kiba, and in fact, it was thru him that Hinata met her fiancé.

Ex-fiancé, her mind reminded her. Did it make her a bad person if she thinks that this heartache is nothing compared to her first heartache? Hinata felt her lower lip wobble.

Yes. Yes it did.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said as he was finally close enough for her to hear.

Ever tactless and impulsive, he jumped right in to the question that was nagging everyone since she left her groom at the altar. "What happened back there? Why did you leave Kiba?" Naruto's voice and expression were torn between loyalty to his friend Kiba, and compassion for Hinata.

Hinata, for her part, could understand Naruto's plight. Still, she couldn't answer properly, was not sure if she even knew the answers. She bit her lip and tried to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.

"H-how is Kiba doing?" her voice cracked at end.

Naruto gave her his trademark eye squint. "He was very upset and hurt. He wanted to know why you did it." Again, there was that question. And again, Hinata wasn't sure how to respond.

Instead, she asked, "Would K-Kiba want to talk to me, do you think?"

The blonde scratched his head and sighed. "I dunno Hinata-chan. Maybe not just yet. Let Kiba blow off some steam." Naruto said, remembering Kiba's ranting and raving the night before in his hotel room.

Hinata knew that there was no way Kiba would want to talk to her, still she wanted to at least know if he was mad. Judging from what Naruto said, she didn't have to be a mind-reader to know that Kiba was angry at her.

She couldn't blame Kiba either for feeling like that. But to hear confirmation of it…

This time, she couldn't stop the flow of tears.

"W-wha—Hey! Hinata-chan!" Naruto squawked, flustered at the sight of tears. "Don't cry, please!" he looked around, as if the solution to her tears was just hanging around them. Awkwardly, he settled for embracing her.

"Don't cry, Hinata-chan." He repeated, patting her back.

Hinata burrowed her face at the hollow of his neck, her tears leaving his skin wet. She could feel the rumble of his voice through her forehead when he speaks.

"Everything would be alright, you'll see." He said.

This made her cry harder because they both know that this wasn't entirely true.

* * *

Sasuke grunted as he loaded the last of his supplies into his car. Mentally, he counted if he had all the supplies he needed before going back home. Certain that he had them all, he got in and started backing away from the lot.

A glance at his rearview mirror reminded him of the last image he saw reflected on it.

Hinata had looked lost when he left her at the bus stop. He wondered if she had already boarded the bus. Was she still waiting at the station? Maybe he should check up on her, the bus stop was on his way back anyway…

Making up his mind, Sasuke continued to drive away from the hardware store towards where he had last seen Hinata.

He expected not to see her there; pretty certain that the bus bound for the pier had passed by and she had already boarded it. At the very least, he expected her to still be waiting, looking as lost as she was when he left.

The sight of her in a familiar blonde's arms, however, didn't even cross his list of possibilities. But that was the scene that greeted him as he pulled his car over in front of the stop.

His first reaction was to wonder what Naruto could possibly be doing in a place as remote as Shima. The second was anger at the man's nerve to follow him in Shima (irrational of course since Naruto didn't even know that Sasuke was even in Fire Country but there it was).

The third, to Sasuke's surprise, was irritation at the blonde for _hugging_ Hinata. The two separated and bent their heads together, whispering. Naruto cupped her cheeks and _caressed_ her cheeks with his thumb. The sight was too much for him to take. Now completely annoyed at Naruto, and at himself for even feeling annoyed in the first place—because, come on, he had barely known the girl for 24 hours—Sasuke got out of the car and stomped towards the couple, calling Hinata's name.

The sound of her name being called made her look up towards his direction. Again, he expected to see the flush on her face after being caught in a passionate embrace, what he didn't expect, however, was to see tears accompanying it. The shock of realizing that it wasn't an impassioned embrace at all made him feel a little ashamed of his thoughts. And he had been angry about it earlier.

"Sasuke!" Naruto's surprised voice rang in the stillness around them. Sasuke wasn't surprised that it still sounded as obnoxious as it had been two years ago. "What are you doing in Shima?"

He looked back at his car, then at Hinata's tearstained face and swollen eyes. Yes, what was he doing here exactly? Just moments ago, he had been irritated that the blonde and Hinata had been _hugging_, now why did he even go out of the car?

Ah, that's right. Why was Naruto even here in Shima? Yes, that's the reason of his irritation, nothing else.

Regaining his equilibrium, he reached forward and grabbed Hinata's arm, yanking her towards him. Naruto's objections of "stop!" and "Teme!" went largely ignored as he shoved her behind him.

"What are _you_ doing here Dobe?" he glared at the blonde.

"Wha—?" Naruto was momentarily speechless. "I'm here because of Hinata-chan!" he said, sounding as if Sasuke should have known it from the start.

Naruto's outraged reply made Hinata start from behind Sasuke. Of course, she knew that Naruto had attended the wedding, but she had thought it was mostly because he was Kiba's friend. Hearing him acknowledge that he was there also because of her made fresh tears well in her eyes; no matter what, at least she now knew that Naruto indeed considered her as a friend.

The soft sniffle behind him made Sasuke turn. There were tears again in her eyes although she valiantly tries to keep them at bay. "Hey, stop crying." It came out gruffer than he had intended.

She nodded. "I'm just—" she sniffled again.

Sasuke gave a resigned sigh, fishing around in his back pocket. "Here." He offered his handkerchief.

Naruto watched them interact in wonder, silent for once. Hinata tentatively took the proffered clothe and thanked him. Her shy and grateful reaction wasn't anything new for Naruto. Sasuke's almost tender expression however…

"You know each other." Naruto said in a manner suggesting that he found this really strange.

For some reason, Sasuke thought this a little amusing. "Dobe, I see you haven't changed."

Naruto's bemused expression turned indignant. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it means."

"Stop baiting me Teme, it won't work." Naruto suddenly turned serious, a melancholy smile appearing on his lips, "So you live here? How come you didn't tell me? And why are you with Hinata-chan?"

Hinata saw Sasuke's smirk turn into a sneer. "Why do you think?" he said in quiet anger, the chill in his voice made her shiver.

For the two years that Hinata had known Naruto, he had never mentioned Sasuke. But by how they interact with each other, it was obvious that they were friends. She wondered what sort of history was hidden underneath.

Naruto frowned as he crossed his arms, "I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

"Well you can keep asking all you want." Sasuke said unkindly, his hand grasping Hinata's. "But we won't stick around to hear it."

Naruto sputtered, "Wait, what?" His eyes followed the two as Sasuke pulled Hinata with him to his car. "Sasuke hey! Where are you going with Hinata-chan?"

Naruto wasted no time bounding up to them and trying to grab Hinata to him. Sasuke though, pushed his outstretched arm away and shoved Hinata behind him.

"What are you doing Teme? Let Hinata-chan come with me, I can take her back to Konoha." Naruto's voice was starting to rise in his confusion.

This made Sasuke pause, considering Naruto's suggestion. It was a perfectly good suggestion actually, on hindsight. He could just hand her over and be done with it. But he didn't particularly like the idea of Hinata and Naruto traveling alone together. He didn't know why but it just doesn't sit well with him. Maybe he merely wanted to be contrary because it was Naruto…?

Behind him, Hinata clutched at the fabric of his shirt and drew herself closer. Her faint whisper of "Please no," that only he heard made his decision for him. It didn't seem like she wanted to go back and Sasuke had to wonder if there was something that she was running away from.

In front of him, Naruto made to reach again for Hinata.

"Forget it Naruto." Sasuke snapped, covering Naruto's view of Hinata completely with his body.

"Tell me why I should listen to you." Naruto challenged petulantly.

Sasuke sent him a quiet glare, glanced at Hinata, and turned to him again. A clear message that it was Hinata's decision not to come. Thankfully, although Naruto was dense and blissfully ignorant of subtle cues at the best of times, he got what Sasuke implied.

The dark haired man sensed Naruto's understanding and shot him an ambivalent look. Sasuke sighed. "Go home Naruto." He turned his back on the blonde and together with Hinata, entered the car and left Naruto staring after them.

* * *

Hinata rode beside Sasuke in silence. It wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable silence either. If she had to describe it, it was similar to the kind shared between train passengers or even bus passengers perhaps. Quiet and just…_There_.

He didn't say anything, didn't question her why she didn't want to go with Naruto. Sasuke just drove his eyes on the road. Frankly, Hinata was thankful he hadn't questioned her, yet. But she knew he will, eventually. She was thankful nonetheless because she didn't quite know why she didn't go with Naruto either.

If she was being honest with herself, a part of her _had_ wanted to go with Naruto, go home with Naruto. But there was a bigger part, the part that had defined her actions for the better part of her life, that didn't want to go home and face the people who would be expecting some kind of an explanation for her.

She was scared to face her family. Her father. Kiba.

Hinata guessed she would forever be a coward. The thought depressed her and she burrowed deeper into the seat, tears falling down her cheeks.

Sasuke spared her a glance when he heard her release a shuddering sigh. The sight of her tears made him wince. He wasn't good with crying females.

More than that, was it really wise to take this girl with him? What had possessed him to dive head first into this mess?

And he could tell she came with a lot of baggage. Sasuke wasn't sure if he was strong enough to carry them along with his heavy load. Perhaps he really was an idiot and it was only showing now. Naruto could have rubbed off on him. He knew all those times spent in the blonde's company were bad for his health.

Stupidity was catching after all, who'd have thought?

.

.

.

* * *

**A/N:**

****Now I know this is so very late, but I want to give a load of thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 2, so a shout out goes to

**Rose Zaki** - I really love your review. I always find myself smiling when I read it. I hope you still support and read this story even though the update came so much later. Your question about Neji would be answered in the later chapters. Don't worry, I won't take as long to update since I've already typed half the chapters up :)

**ppeach2** - Thanks for the great review! I'm glad you like how Hinata's wedding turned out. Hopefully, I'd get to clear things out about her exact reasons in later chapters.

**l'Ollonais Sephira Chronos** - Thank you for the input. I took it to heart, and what you said made sense, so I edited that part out. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!

**FallenRaindrops** - Hey you! I'm happy you're supporting this story as well :D Thanks for the sweet review!

**Aquacharm** - Thanks, glad you liked it.

**Cat** - Thanks!

**Palai** - I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**thesametown** - Thanks for the compliment and review!

**lala's world** - Thanks so very much for the review! Also, a load of hugs for supporting my other stories :)

I'd probably update this story once or twice a month, depending on my schedule (which isn't that full right now) but my main priority would be getting regular updates out for _Akai Ito. _Anyway, thanks a bunch for reading! Drop me a review and tell me what you think.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

**Tragedy**

**Chapter 4 **

* * *

_Did tea even help stop tears?_

Sasuke had no idea, not really being a tea drinker himself (plus he doesn't cry), but since his brother and old mentor always drink it to calm down, maybe it did.

"Here, drink this." Sasuke placed freshly brewed tea in front of Hinata. "It would help with the, uhh…" he indicated his own cheeks, alluding to the tear tracks on her face.

She merely nodded and accepted the proffered mug, cupping it into her tiny hands.

Sasuke sat at the table in front of her and handled his own mug of coffee, all the while trying to discreetly study the dark haired girl. The way she looked, crying silently and looking so small in her seat, reminded him of the way she looked the night before as she cried on his couch.

He really didn't want to ask her about her personal affairs, but if he was going to let her stay in his house for an indeterminable amount of time, he needed to know _why_. Why was she against going back to Konoha in the first place?

There wasn't a delicate way to say it but Sasuke figured he'd nip it in the bud, so to speak. "Why are you wearing a wedding dress when I found you down at the shore?" he asked bluntly.

She knew she was imposing on his hospitality. She also understood why he was asking her. However, understanding and accepting it were two different sides of the coin. She didn't want to relieve her shame in front of a complete stranger (which what was Sasuke was, she knew his name but nothing else) but she also knew that she'd rather explain herself to a stranger than the people who were involved.

So she started, "I was…" Hinata took a breath, "I r-ran from m-my own we-wedding yester…day." Her chin met her chest, afraid of the censure she'd see on his face.

But he wasn't looking at her with any kind of criticism. In fact, her answer rendered him too shocked to do much of anything at all.

What she said… it was like a punch to the gut and Sasuke felt the air wheeze out of his lungs. Her petite and frail appearance didn't look like someone who could… He was familiar with the other side of this pain… He was…

He was helping this woman why? _Why?Whywhywhywhywhy…!_

"Why?" he rasped.

She looked up to see a grimace on his face. The question surprised her. She wasn't taken off-guard by the question itself because it was a perfectly rational one; she was surprised because she had the answer to it.

"I-I think I lost something…perhaps it's my h-heart. I do-don't know." She whispered, tears falling from her eyes. It wasn't a satisfactory answer, Hinata recognized, but it was how she honestly felt. Her heart, or maybe her dreams, wasn't with her or even with Kiba anymore. Somehow, somewhere along the way, they had both lost it.

Was he supposed to accept this half-baked answer and just calmly let her stay into his home? Was she telling him she didn't go through with her wedding all because of something she lost? Something she wasn't even sure what?

"Is this some sort of joke?" Sasuke whispered harshly into the silence that followed.

"S-Sasuke-san?"

He stood up abruptly that his chair almost toppled over. "I'm going out." He said curtly, his face in shadow.

"Sh-should I leave?" Hinata stood up as well and made to follow him out to the living room.

Sasuke reached the door, his hand going for the knob. "Stay." He told her tersely, feeling like he was going to explode if he didn't get away. "I'll be back. Help yourself to whatever." He opened the door and slammed it close behind him.

Hinata stared at the wood, biting her lip. Was it…

Was it something she said perhaps? She looked around at the empty house. Shiro, who had followed them out from the kitchen, nudged her knees asking to be petted.

Hinata crouched and scratched behind on fuzzy ear. "I think your master is mad at me." She told the dog who merely looked at her with fathomless eyes.

* * *

Sasuke sat at the only bar in that small town, where all who drink inside knew each other's first names. He didn't particularly relish being recognized drinking his ass off, partly because he didn't want to become fodder for tomorrow's gossip but mostly because he suspected Itachi had someone spying on him for quite some time now.

Bah, but he needed to drink. Screw the gossip, screw Itachi. He needed to _not_ think for a while (and for someone with his kind of intelligence, that was a difficult feat to accomplish even with the help of alcohol).

So there he sat at the bar, nursing a glass of sake. The place was deserted. It wasn't unusual however, since in a town like Shima, where everyone knew everyone, there wasn't much reason to get drunk. Life there was slow and peaceful, there really wasn't any need.

The closest he could remember to people wanting to get stupidly drunk in this place was during the Hadaka Matsuri. Then again, if Sasuke had to prance around naked, he supposed he'd want to get piss drunk too.

Sasuke snorted and gulped a mouthful of alcohol, feeling the liquid burn a path to his empty stomach. It was irritating how trouble seemed to keep following him.

Even here in Shima, he just _had_ to be the effin hero and save that girl, only to realize that she was the worst sort of charity case he could _ever_ have taken.

_Why_ did he do that, really?

He knew at first he took her in because he didn't want her death on his conscience. Somehow he just knew that if she drowned, the image of her white billowing dress as she stood at the shore would haunt him forever.

At least the reason for that was clear. But after, why did he take her from Naruto? Was it because he merely wanted to spite the Dobe? No, it couldn't have been that, Sasuke could be petty sometimes but he wasn't that pathetic.

The pain he saw behind her eyes was a reflection of those he saw in his every time he faced the mirror. Was it because he saw a kindred spirit in her? _Hah!_ No, it couldn't possibly be that, particularly now that he knew what she had done. It was something he couldn't ever forgive so why was he helping her?

He didn't really know. What he did know was that she was his responsibility now. He took her from Naruto so he couldn't just dump her back, especially after he had tacitly agreed to help her when she pleaded with him back at the bus stop.

But could he live peacefully with her when he hated what she had done?

Sasuke took another swallow of sake.

He left Konoha specifically to get away from this kind of mess and now it seemed he had dived into another one.

He couldn't even get goddam drunk without being reported to his saint brother and being the subject for gossip. _Fucking great._

"Haaaaa…" Sasuke breathed out after another long gulp of alcohol. Why was he even here again? Yeah, that's right. To stop thinking. He should really be getting to that now.

"Ah…" But his glass was now empty. Sasuke shook the bottle of whiskey beside him and smirked widely.

"Bartender, I need a new bottle here, preferably full…or half full." He slurred to the ouji-san behind the counter.

* * *

Hinata was dozing on the couch when the sound of jangling keys and then the whisper of a door opening woke her up. It was too dark to see anything, but the light from outside filtered a little into the living room.

The sound of someone bumping into furniture, followed by a muffled curse confirmed who it was.

"Sa-Sasuke-san?" She whispered tentatively into the darkness. There was a grunt then a second later, Hinata had to blink to help her eyes adjust to the sudden light that flooded the room.

It took Sasuke's alcohol addled brain a few seconds to recognize the voice, then a few seconds more to put a face to it. He flicked the light switch on.

"Uh huh, it's me." He slurred. His unfocused vision found her sitting on the couch and he made to approach her only to stumble into the coffee table. "Fuck!" He cursed loudly.

Hinata caught his unsteady form as he almost toppled over, and recoiled from the sharp smell of alcohol emanating from him. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You…you've b-been drinking."

"Yeah…" He sighed into neck, draping his arms more securely onto her shoulders. "You've got that right!"

Goosebumps peppered the skin he breathed on. "You should, uh, go to sleep then." She said, pushing Sasuke's face away from her neck.

Sasuke hiccupped and grinned at her, Hinata rather thought that it looked odd on his face. "D'you want to join me?"

Hinata pursed her lips. "Let me help you upstairs."

"Nah, I can do it." He retorted, but leaned more of his weight on her. Hinata knees almost buckled under the extra weight.

Together, they hobbled upstairs; Sasuke stopping every once in a while to sniff at her neck and Hinata stopping to adjust his weight on her (or to push his face away).

Sasuke, Hinata found out, was a happy talkative drunk (aside from being touchy-feely as well). He kept talking about nonsensical things as they went up the stairs; from the "stupid" coffee table downstairs, to the size of the nails he planned to use to fix his roof, and his plans to join some kind of hadaka festival and did she want to join him? But she couldn't since girls are not allowed.

Finally (_finally!_ she thought), they arrived in his room. It was too dark for Hinata to see the entire room (her having no time to turn on the light with Sasuke draped all over her) but she managed to see the outline of the bed and so moved to help Sasuke lay down.

He gripped her neck tighter and took her with him as he collapsed face down on the mattress. Hinata puffed out a breath as she fell on her side. She hastily tried to sit up but Sasuke effectively stopped any attempt by slinging an arm on her torso.

He clutched her tighter to his body. "W-Wait Sasuke-san…!" Hinata protested trying to shove his arm off.

But he was probably too out of it to hear (or understand) any of her complaints, and demonstrated it by burrowing his face on her throat. "You smell nice..." his breath puffed, tickling her, "…Sakura."

Hinata froze. Was he taking liberties on her person because he thought she was this 'Sakura'? She tried moving his arms off with more vigor. "I'm…I'm not Sakura…!"

He didn't answer but continued sniffing the nape of her neck, ignoring her struggles. It was innocent snuffling at first but when she felt him start to lick and kiss the skin there Hinata grabbed his face and pushed.

"Sasuke-san!" She gasped in outrage.

His reply was to lick the palm of her hand.

Hinata 'eeped' and snatched her hand back. With no hand on his face stopping him, Sasuke went back to her neck and started to suck. Hard.

Her heart stuttered to a stop, only to double up at the next second. She could feel her face suffusing with heat. "N-no! S-stop!" she struggled earnestly. When the sucking turned to biting, Hinata knew she _really_ had had enough. With a mighty shove on his shoulders, she managed to disengage his lips from her neck and at last was able to sit up.

He also sat up and made a move on her again but she was ready this time. "I said stop!" she screamed and slapped his face.

The force behind the slap made Sasuke fall back on the bed. Hinata panted, her hand still poised from the hit she had given, and stared at his shadowed form lying on the bed. He didn't move.

"S-Sasuke-san…?" Hinata stammered. When there was no reply or visible movement from him, she reached out and poked him on the back (or at least what felt as his back). "A-Are you…alive?"

When he still didn't move, she drew back. _Oh my, I killed him!_

The panic was starting to sink into her bones when he snored. _Oh, he's just sleeping…_

Hinata sagged in relief. _Thank Kami he's still alive…!_ Although on hindsight, she couldn't have killed him with just a slap even if she wanted to.

She stood up and made to leave him as is, with his legs sticking out of the bed and his torso and neck at an awkward angle. But the way he was resting couldn't be comfortable. He'd be aching in the morning, on top of the hangover he was sure to have.

Hinata chewed her bottom lip. But she was still miffed at him. How dare he…!

Still… she thought, this was his house. And he was being generous for letting her stay. Also, she wouldn't be able to sleep with her conscience nagging at her. She could continue feeling mad at him in the morning. So thinking, Hinata decided to be magnanimous, at least for tonight.

She arranged Sasuke's body properly on the bed, heaving a little as she lifted his head to rest on a pillow. And finally covered him up with a blanket.

Satisfied with her good deed, she left his room, gently closing the door behind her.

* * *

As soon as Sasuke opened his eyes, a hammer started pounding on his skull. The sun was shining merrily outside his windows but he just wanted to rip his eyes out of their sockets. He turned over and groaned in pain.

_What happened last night?_ He remembered going into the bar and drinking his ass off… A drill ground into his temple making him wince. Then a hazy memory of walking home, of opening the door then…

Nothing.

Oh but he did remember the reason he got drunk in the first place. _That girl._

But wait, how did he get up here? Sasuke sprang up into a sitting position and almost immediately fell back down, moaning. Dammit! He hadn't felt this kind of hangover since… He forcibly banished the thought. It was too early to think of that.

Squinting his eyes from the glare coming from outside, Sasuke tentatively got out of bed, wincing and groaning in pain, and towards the bathroom. First things first. His bladder felt like it was going to explode.

He went into the bathroom and passed the mirror. And had to do a double take when he saw his face.

Why was there a handprint on his cheek?

* * *

Hinata was sitting at the kitchen table when she heard Sasuke's heavy footsteps come down the stairs. A moment later, she heard him shuffle his way towards the kitchen counter, banging around the cabinets most likely in search of coffee. She'd seen him consume the stuff often enough to conclude he'd be especially dependent on it after a night of heavy drinking.

She couldn't fully see his face but she knew he had an awful hangover judging from the deep frown she could see making his eyebrows stand out from the side. Hinata bit her lip. She should really have mercy on him and just tell him she had a cup waiting for him just here on the table if he'd deign to turn around. But she was still rather upset with the stunt he pulled last night.

Plus she had had to braid her hair to the side of her shoulders because of it, and it itches, which didn't earn him her good graces at the moment.

Eventually however (because it wasn't really in her nature to feel spiteful for long) she took pity on him. "Uhm…I've prepared a cup of c-coffee for you." She mumbled softly.

The mention of coffee made him look behind him and at her. Hinata had to suppress a gasp when she saw a faint red handprint on his cheek. She had no doubts he got it from when she slapped him last night. Her eyes flitted back to his face, but she had to avert them as soon as she saw the knowing glint on his eyes.

Sasuke quirked a brow at her obviously guilty expression. He didn't have to be a genius to figure out why his cheek was swollen. His bloodshot eyes eventually landed on the coffee mug on the table and slowly (so as not to appear too eager) Sasuke approached and grasped it on the handle. He looked dubiously at the liquid for a moment. Events from last night were hazy at best but he could vaguely recall the reason why she had slapped him silly.

Frankly, she had all the motivation to poison his coffee. But then, his head ached like hell and he didn't particularly care if he dropped dead at the moment. Plus, she had made the coffee just how he liked it (which surprised him) so…

Hinata covertly watched him drink the coffee, embarrassed that he knew that she had slapped him. W-well… there was still the breakfast she prepared for him, Hinata thought as her eyes landed on the omelet and toast on the table. Maybe he'd be a little more forgiving after he ate…

"I uh…I h-hope you d-don't mind, b-but I m-made breakfast." She hesitated. "I a-also s-saved the l-leftovers f-from the d-dinner I made last night, I ho-hope you don't m-mind…"

Sasuke didn't say anything, merely sitting down in front of her (wincing all the while) and taking a bite of the omelet she made, and then washing it down with more coffee. He was buttering his toast when he saw she only had a glass of water sitting next to her plate.

"Where's yours?" he asked, indicating his own mug of coffee.

Surprised that he had talked to her, and even more that he had noticed her missing coffee, Hinata answered. "I-I don't really like co-coffee." She told him almost shyly.

The toast made a crinkling noise as he bit on it. He considered her as he chewed; remembering that he had served her hot coffee just the day before and she drank it without complaint. She was shifting uncomfortably in her seat but was stubbornly focused on her plate.

Sasuke swallowed. "What do you prefer then?"

Her eyes darted up at him. She was still acting shy. _A sign of a guilty conscience no doubt. _But whatever. It had been his fault, if his memory (which was rather faulty at the moment) served him right, so he was going to be lenient.

"T-tea…" she told him in a murmur.

"Hn."

Hinata saw him stand up and walk towards the cupboards, rummaging around for something. After which, he returned and dropped a box at the table in front of her. Closer inspection of the label informed her it was a box of tea bags.

He sat down again. "My old sensei used to keep a stash of tea bags in here whenever he comes to visit. You can help yourself with it." He gestured to the box.

Shyness evaporating from his act of kindness, Hinata smiled brilliantly at him. "Th-thank you…!"

He was momentarily taken aback by the smile directed at him. He hadn't realized she looked…well, not ugly, when she smiled.

Yes, she definitely looked uh…commonly not ugly when she smiled.

He took another swallow of coffee.

.

.

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* * *

**A/N:**

**Hadaka Matsuri **or Naked Festival, where, as the name suggests, participants wear a minimum amount of clothing, and sometimes even come naked.

**Shima** or Island. I could swear I read that there's a Shimagakure somewhere in the Narutoverse, but when I checked it again, I couldn't find it anywhere on the net.

And there you go, another chapter done! Thanks and hugs go to those who reviewed the last chapter; **FallenRaindrops**, **UchihaMistress723**, **imatwilightfan**, and **michioka**.

Drop me a review and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Tragedy**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

The first day of Hinata's stay with Sasuke, he had given her a set of clothes to use. He claimed he enlisted the help of an obaasan from town (but really, it was him who bought them).

Sasuke figured that there needn't be unnecessary discomfort on both their parts, hence the lie. It wasn't a big deal to him but he was unsure if that was also the case for Hinata. Not to mention, there were underthings with it so…

Later that same day, while she had been looking through the bags of clothes, she heard loud noises coming from upstairs. They sounded like wood being dragged against wood. Curious despite herself (she still hadn't forgotten what Sasuke did the night before), she went up the stairs to investigate.

The noise she found, were coming from an open room just beside Sasuke's bedroom door. There was sunlight filtering from that open doorway. Peering inside, she found Sasuke sitting down on an upturned wooden cabinet. He was panting and holding his arm, wincing as he turned it left and right.

"A-Are you alright Sasuke-san?" she asked from the doorway, unsure if she could enter.

He looked up, grimacing. "Yeah, I think so." He said and motioned for her to come in.

Hinata entered and took a look around, curious as to what he was doing in there. Aside from the cabinet Sasuke was sitting on, the only other furniture in the room was a wooden bureau resting near the open window and a table and chair. She glanced at Sasuke and blinked when she found him studying her, as if he was gauging her reaction to something.

To what? She wondered.

"This room used to be an old storage." He informed her, his gaze left her face and surveyed the room. "I managed to remove the clutter, somehow." He stood up and bent, grabbing the top side of the topped furniture and pulling it up.

Seeing his intentions, Hinata hurried to help him and went to grab the other side, heaving it up. Together, they were able to right the heavy wood. The effort left her somewhat short of breath. She eyed Sasuke, waiting for further instructions.

Sasuke turned to her with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Where do you want to put it?" he asked her.

"M-me?" Hinata was confused.

He rolled his eyes at her. "No, I was talking to the person behind you." He said wryly.

Okay, she knew sarcasm when she heard it. But why was he asking for her opinion? "Uhm…" she hedged, looking around the room with new eyes as she considered his question. "There." She pointed to the corner, in front of the window.

He nodded and started to push the cabinet to her chosen location. That accomplished, he turned to address her. "Wait here." He said, disappearing outside (probably to his room) and then coming back again, now carrying a thick futon, pillows, and a fluffy comforter. Hinata watched him place those in the middle of the room.

He looked at her. "What do you think?"

Again, she took her time to consider his question. The room was small, but had a warm feel to it. The curtains had bluish green patters to them (it was obvious it belonged to a male) and there was a table and chair in front of the window. Right next to it sat the bureau then of course there was the wooden cabinet that he had just moved.

"It looks cozy, I l-like it." She smiled.

There was a visible shift in his expression, she hadn't noticed that there was tension in his features until it left him completely. "Good." He said, "This will be you room for the meantime."

_Oh…That's why. _Her very own room.

Sasuke observed as her face broke out into a happy smile. He didn't notice there was a certain darkness to her expression until it disappeared completely. It brought a certain light to her pearly eyes that weren't there before. It was like the lifting of the storm.

Outside the window, the last of the rain that had kept on since he found Hinata by the beach finally drizzled out, and the overcast skies slowly lightened. The clouds parted to give way to the sun.

For an inexplicable reason, his face started to warm up. He felt it creeping up his neck and into his cheeks. He coughed and looked away, embarrassed.

"Anyway, this is just so I could use my couch again." He grumpily said, trying to cover up his embarrassment. "I can't very well let you hog it to yourself 24/7."

And for some reason he couldn't fathom, that made her giggle, as if she found something really funny in what he said. He frowned at her, not at all amused. She bowed at him. "Thank you so much Sasuke-san." She smiled again. Sasuke was disconcerted to notice that she had a small dimple on her left cheek; and even more so for the fact that he found it _cute_.

Hinata couldn't help the smile that threatened to form on her lips as she watched him acting nonchalant. But he was rubbing his neck in an uncharacteristic display of self-consciousness as he left. She thought he really was like her cousin Neji. Both preferred quiet and both presented blank expressions to the world.

Most of all, they were both uncomfortable with shows of gratitude, as if they didn't expect to receive it. As if they didn't really know what to do with it

Hinata approached the bureau and peered at the mirror. Her reflection blinked back at her. Next she went to the futon laid out at the middle of the room. Slowly, she allowed herself to sink down on it, resting her body. The cool surface felt good on her skin. Her limbs feeling heavy all of the sudden, Hinata decided to take a nap. She nuzzled the fluffy pillow to her cheek, a wide grin on her lips.

It was a great feeling to have a bed she could call her own again.

* * *

After that first day, Hinata barely had time to talk to Sasuke. She always saw him up and about the house, but he rarely stopped to have a friendly chat with her. Most of the time, Hinata noticed that he ignored her. One time, just to have an excuse to initiate a conversation, she tried to offer her help while he was up fixing the roof. And her face still flamed every time she remembered what had happened.

She was outside with Shiro that day, sitting at the porch. She had her sketchpad (that Sasuke had given her after he saw her eyeing it) with her and was drawing Shiro's expression as he gazed off at the distance when Sasuke came out from the back, carrying a ladder in one arm and a plank of wood in the other. Hinata and Shiro followed his progress across the yard with interest. He went on to secure the ladder at the edge of the roof and started climbing up.

He would come down after a while, fetch his tools, and then climb again. Hinata, eager to help, and also wanting to have a conversation other than with Shiro, approached the ladder.

She squinted up. "C-Can I help Sasuke-san?"

The spikes of his hair appeared first at the edge followed by his face as he peered down to look at her. "I've gotten everything. Thanks anyway." He told her absently as he disappeared once again.

She was more than a little curious as to what he was doing up there. Was he fixing the roof perhaps? Hinata thought as she went back to Shiro and her sketchpad. She'd never seen someone fixing a roof in person before…

Sasuke spared a glance down the roof but didn't see Hinata hanging about anymore. She had looked a tad too eager in his opinion. What, hadn't she seen a person fixing a roof before? Snorting in disdain, Sasuke reached for another nail but his seeking fingers only met wood. Huh, he had thought he brought enough with him. There were more inside the house, so he went down the ladder to fetch them.

He was rummaging around the shed for the set of nails he knew he had stashed somewhere when a feminine scream pierced the silence and made him drop the box in his hands. Adrenaline pumping in his veins, he sprinted outside. His only thought was that it was Hinata's voice, sounding very much frightened.

…Frightened of Shiro it looked like.

Sasuke's feet slid on the grass as he made a turn and wilted in relief from what he saw.

"Ah! Shiro s-stop it!" Hinata reprimanded the playful dog. She was on the ladder, clinging for dear life. Shiro danced around the bottom of the wood, occasionally jostling Hinata's precarious position when he jumped on the ladder with his front paws. Sasuke could clearly see Hinata's white knuckled grip.

He watched their antics for a moment, feeling the adrenaline being replaced by amusement and vexation as it left his system. A particularly panicky yelp from Hinata after a rather viciously playful shove from Shiro made him finally intervene.

"Heel Shiro." He calmly scolded the dog, to which it responded with a repentant whine. "Sit." It obeyed immediately.

Sasuke patted Shiro's head and turned his attention to the girl who stood frozen, on the ladder steps. "If it's not too much of a bother, may I ask what the hell you're doing there?" He asked, irritation coloring his voice.

Hinata's eyes darted from left to right, refusing to meet his. "I-I…" her pale pallor began to suffuse with color. She felt extremely mortified to have been caught like this. She had only meant to take a quick peek at what he was doing.

Sasuke saw that she had no intention of answering. Too embarrassed perhaps. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right. Just get down please."

Hinata complied without protest, but wobbled once her feet touched the ground. Sasuke reached a steadying hand, gripping her elbows.

"Okay?" He asked.

She nodded and bit her lip, her face flaming. He released her after making sure she was steady before doing so.

"Um…" Her darting eyes finally met his, "S-Sorry, I just, uh…I've n-never seen so-someone fix a…roof…before…" she trailed off, her voice going softer he almost couldn't hear.

The image of her petrified and clinging to the ladder (she was only four feet off the ground) came back to him. Seriously? She was up there, almost risking her neck, because she wanted to take a little looksee on the roof? For some reason, he found this simply too hilarious for words, he couldn't stop the chuckle that bubbled forth.

It was a sound so unfamiliar to _both of them_. Hinata looked startled by it, she had never seen Sasuke smile, let alone laugh in all the time she had stayed with him.

Sasuke had trouble recognizing the sound of his own laughter that he laughed even harder. Because wasn't it just funny that he didn't know his own laughter anymore?

Hinata felt offended as he laughed in her face. More than that, she was mortified. It wasn't that funny was it? She frowned at him, her face resembling a tomato.

His laughter continued as he went back into the house to finally fetch that box of nails.

And Hinata's face flamed all the way into dinner.

After that incident, Hinata didn't try to strike up a conversation with Sasuke, still feeling embarrassed by what happened. He noticed she made herself scarce whenever he was around.

Sasuke let her avoid him because he wanted to be left alone. He was content with the impasse between them. She avoids him, he avoids her. It was a win-win situation.

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.

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* * *

**A/N:**

Wow, I'm blown away by the feedback I received about Sakura and Sasuke. Rest assured, this story would remain a hundred percent SasuHina!

Again, a load of thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter; **imatwilightfan**, **michioka**, **Saki-Hime**, **winterkaguya**, **Musahotshot**, **UchihaMistress723**, **Syd monster12**, **MeltYouWithOneKiss**, and **blablablabla**, thanks you guys!

What do you think of this chapter? Review and tell me :)


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**A/N: **Hello people! I hope this chapter isn't that late. Hopefully, the length more than makes up for it. It's a Sunday, so I barely made it in the two week mark; I know I promised to update this story once every two weeks. It's the holidays so things have been crazy around the house lately and I haven't the time to just sit quietly in front of the computer and update. Anyway, that said, I hope you folks enjoy this chapter. Happy Holidays!

* * *

**Tragedy**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

_It was because she had pinned her hair up in a bun that he noticed it._

Normally, she had her hair braided to the side but it was a muggy day and she was probably feeling the heat so she put it up.

Sasuke was outside, exercising Shiro with a Frisbee, when Hinata came out of the house to sit on the porch with her sketchpad. She sat a little ways away from them and began sketching.

Hinata was still feeling a little embarrassed from the other day but the weather was too pleasant to stay cooped up in her room, even if it was a little hot. Besides, it was a perfect opportunity to draw the lighthouse as the lighting gave her an excellent view. Plus, after she was done, she could sneak a few motion sketches of Sasuke and Shiro. It was worth feeling awkward around him, in her opinion.

He ignored her for the most part, except for a few glances in her general direction now and then. Mostly, he focused his attention on Shiro as the dog chased happily after the disc, his shiny black coat glinting in the sunlight.

Hinata admired the dog's sleek fur as it caught the light. And couldn't help comparing it to Sasuke's own shiny black hair, the similarities between the two's "fur" made her giggle. _Like master like dog…?_

He couldn't help shooting her a bemused glance when he heard her muffled laughter. Whatever, he thought and continued tossing the disc each time Shiro returned it to him. A sudden gust of sea breeze made the Frisbee careen towards the porch. Shiro followed it with a bark but instead of giving it back to Sasuke, the Labrador dropped it on Hinata's lap.

Startled, Hinata looked at the disc now lying on her pad, then at Shiro's expectant eyes, and finally to Sasuke. "Ano…" She started, a little uncertain. She was looking at the Frisbee as if she had never seen one before.

Hinata had never seen a Frisbee up close before. She tentatively took the disc and looked uncertainly at Sasuke.

"Toss it." He instructed her, a hand on a hip.

_How?_ Hinata wondered but didn't dare say it out loud. She had seen how Sasuke did it earlier. Perhaps she'd just copy it. It didn't look that hard…

The sketchpad was carefully laid down. Gingerly, Hinata stood up and tossed the disc with all her might.

The Frisbee took off. Three pairs of eyes watched as the object soared unsteadily and landed just behind the dog. Shiro barked, turned around, grabbed the disc by his teeth, turned around again and handed it back to a pink faced Hinata.

There was a word to describe that toss. "Pathetic," Sasuke stated, without any real bite. He approached Hinata and took the Frisbee from her. "Didn't you ever play this before?"

She shook her head. "My father disliked for my sister and I to break things so we refrained from playing anything that could do that."

"Hn." He could understand that. Itachi also forbid playing toys that could break irreplaceable objects inside the house. But there was always outside. "The yard then?"

She flushed. "I…didn't have playmates."

For as long as he could remember, Naruto and Sakura had been his friends. Even if Itachi was always away and had no time for him anymore, he had not been lacking in that department. They could be overbearing sometimes, he even wanted a break from them. Sasuke couldn't imagine growing up without having someone to play with.

"Right. You can play with Shiro now." He told her, handing her the disc again. "It's never too late to learn Frisbee."

She smiled tentatively at him, charmed that he hadn't said anything about her nonexistent playmates. Hinata hefted the toy. "D-Do I hold it like th-this?" she demonstrated, angling her arms so that the Frisbee was held at the side of her face.

"No, hold it away from you face."

"L-Like this?"

"A little lower…Don't lean it to your neck. No, move your arm out…Do you want to hurt yourself?" He asked in exasperation.

Finally, the ridiculousness got to him, so he stomped forward and positioned his body behind her. Sasuke grabbed her arm holding the Frisbee with one hand, and her waist in another, and angled her torso.

"There, do you get it now?" he asked, turning his head to face her.

Their bodies where very close in this position, which provided a close up view of her face (that held a look of intense concentration) and her neck. Her very slender and pale neck. Marred only by a purplish bruise. A bruise the suspiciously looks like…

"Is that a hickey?" he blurted out in astonishment, unable to help himself.

She jerked back from him as soon as she heard it but he tightened his hold on her, preventing escape.

"W-Wh-What?" she stuttered, her face growing red. The Frisbee fell down from her slack fingers.

"There's a hickey," he paused, as if searching for a more appropriate terms that she'd understand, "a _lovebite_, on your neck." He pointed.

Of course she knew what a hickey meant! She was also aware that she had one on her neck. It wasn't impossible to miss since it was her own neck…!

"Who did that?" he demanded in his silent manner. "You didn't have that mark last time." If she had, he would've noticed. It was hard to hide that kind of mark while wearing a white tube gown after all.

"I…it was…" Oh, what would she tell him? He wouldn't have noticed it because she always hid it with her braid. She had forgotten that she had it in the first place, that's why she pinned her hair up (and it was too hot). But how could she tell him he was the one who had given her the hickey that night he had gotten drunk and mistaken her for 'Sakura'?

She blushed even more, if that was possible. Sasuke noted with interest that this made the hickey turn a motley shade. It wasn't any of his business, really, but he couldn't help but be curious. As far as he knew, she hadn't been in contact with anyone, aside from…

"Was it the Dobe?" At her blank look, he amended, "Its Naruto isn't it?"

Hinata gasped in horror. "No!" She denied vehemently.

Sasuke stared at her suspiciously. Who else could it possibly be…? He frowned in thought. _Wait a minute…_

He touched his cheek, which was already rid of any signs of a handprint. It had just healed. Oh, he was quite sure of the identity of the culprit behind it. So did this mean she had given it to him because…?

_Ah…_

Hinata saw the dawning of realization in his face and was quite sure he had come to the right conclusion. She averted her eyes, embarrassed for the both of them.

"Right." He rubbed the back of his neck, pink tingeing his cheeks. "I…uh…you don't have to tell me." He cleared his throat, sheepish. "We should…er…go in. It's…getting quite hot."

She nodded; their pink cheeks a matching pair. "Un…"

Shiro regarded at the two humans as they got inside the house, with Hinata stooping for a second to get her discarded sketchpad. The dog looked down at the forgotten Frisbee and whined.

* * *

The 'Frisbee Incident', as they both called it in their minds, served as the ice breaker in their tenuous co-existence. It was mortifying and embarrassing, so both resolved to pretend it never happened. And what better way to do that than to act 'normal' around each other? Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it) 'normal' in their circumstance was usually avoiding each other. However, doing that would only be acknowledging the incident. So they did the opposite.

They talked, like they didn't always walk on eggshells around one another.

Sasuke didn't always coop himself up in his room and Hinata didn't hide inside hers. They began to watch TV together on the couch and eat meals at the same time.

Sometimes, Hinata would even go with him whenever he took Shiro for walks.

It was awkward and forced at first, like they were only pretending to act 'normal' to pretend that it didn't happen. Eventually, however, they got used to it. It was slow going. But they got used to it.

* * *

They were on the beach, watching as Shiro frolicked in the water. The weather was sunny, and the breeze from the ocean was cool to the skin.

"Why is Shiro named Shiro?" She asked out of the blue.

Next to her, he shrugged. "I called him Kakashi at first."

"Scarecrow?" She inquired, intrigued.

"Hn. But it soon got confusing so he's Shiro now."

_Confusing? _"A-ano…Why not Ku-Kuro instead?"

He looked at her as if she had just said something funny. "What's black about Kakashi?"

She decided then and there that there were things about him she'd never understand, so decided to let the matter drop.

* * *

Sasuke was content with living alone in Shima. It wasn't that different from the arrangement he had back in Konoha. He didn't live in the Uchiha mansion with his family so he was accustomed to having a house all to himself.

Arriving at an empty house wasn't new to Sasuke. Neither were darkness and silence greeting him as he went home every day from work, or in this case, from an errand.

Parking his car in the garage, opening his door with jangling keys, toeing his shoes off at the threshold and hanging his coat on the rack, were all things Sasuke was used to and didn't think much on. Even uttering the monotone of "Tadaima" to the emptiness around him was habitual.

So on that particular day, the answering "Okaeri" made Sasuke stop short in his tracks.

He told himself it wasn't that big a deal, but was unable to stop himself from repeating his greeting, convincing himself that he was only doing it to make sure he had heard right. And wasn't hallucinating on hearing things.

Sasuke convinced himself of all these reasons. All the same, he couldn't stop the corners of his lips from tilting up when the feminine reply came again.

"Okaeri, Sasuke-san."

It was faint (coming from another place in the house). But more importantly, it was there.

* * *

"Tell me why we're watching this again?" Sasuke asked for the fifth time in the span of one commercial, going to the next.

Hinata kept her eyes glued to the television. "I want to learn how to make z-zenzai."

Sasuke sagged on cushions, his side resting on the armrest. He shot Hinata an irritated glare from the other end of the couch. "Why watch it though? Just search for the recipe on the net."

This time she looked at him, her eyes wide. "I- I c-could borrow y-your laptop?"

Sasuke didn't know what to take of her astonishment. He sighed, cradling his cheek on a fist. "I lent you my clothes. If I could do that, don't you think I could also lend you my laptop?" He said, finally settling on feeling offended.

She shook her head vehemently, her side bangs whipping to and fro. "I d-didn't mean it like that! I just…" her eyes strayed back to the TV, face already starting to flush "…it w-was in your r-room…so…"

"Right." He said, dragging the vowel. "Now you know, so change the channel."

"B-But don't you w-want to learn how to make zenzai?" She protested.

"Tch. _No._" He griped, as if him making zenzai was the most ludicrous idea. "I _hate_ sweets."

Hinata stared at him. "Y-you do?" She was amazed someone could possibly not like sweets. "Why?"

"I don't need a reason to hate them. I just do."

"W-Well, _I_ love them." She sounded almost petulant.

"I gathered as much."

Hinata bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowed down at the remote. Obviously in a moral dilemma, Sasuke thought wryly. Should she give up control of his _own_ TV? He was proven correct when she reached a hand out to the wide space separating them on the couch and handed him the remote.

Sasuke regarded her from the other side of the couch. And slowly took the object she was offering him. Together they sat as he began to flip through channels.

When a few minutes passed and he still hadn't settled on one, Hinata finally asked, "W-What ch-channel are you looking for?"

"Another cooking show," he answered distractedly, eyes not moving from the screen.

Her eyebrows rose. "I thought you didn't like to watch cooking sh-shows?" she asked curiously.

"You're right. I don't." He said no more and continued flipping through more channels, at last settling on one. Hinata studied the screen; the chef compressing what looked to be rice on both hands, and glanced back at Sasuke.

A crooked grin was aimed at her. "But if it's a cooking show on omusubi, I don't mind."

* * *

"Sasuke-san, have you ever been inside a lighthouse?"

"A few times."

"Is it t-true there's a big mirror at the very top?"

"I won't call it a mirror exactly, but yes."

"So there's really a person who has to check that it rotates every second?"

"In the past, yeah. But there are technological improvements now."

"Oh, I see. Is it also true that th-there are sleeping quarters inside?"

He studied her, wondering where this was going. "What's with all these questions all of the sudden?"

She gazed wistfully at the Lighthouse seen in the distance. "I want to visit one s-someday."

He too, directed his gaze at the white stone structure. It was very small from here. "Maybe when they begin opening it for tourists again, we could go sometime."

"I'd like that very much." Hinata smiled at him sweetly. His heart skipped a beat.

He'd like to take her there too.

* * *

It was the middle of the night and he was asleep just moments ago. But his bladder was killing him so he had gotten up to go to the bathroom.

His business finished, Sasuke was on his way to back to bed when he heard something from Hinata's door. It wasn't so much the sound itself but the familiarity of it that caught his attention. He was sure he had heard this sound before.

Interest piqued, Sasuke leaned closer, his ears almost touching the wood. And there it was, sniffling and hiccupping, sure signs that she was crying. Just like she had done that first night he had heard her sobbing at his couch.

He listened for a few moments more, standing immobile in front of her door. Short of barging inside her room and commanding her to stop crying, there wasn't much he could do, he thought.

And it wasn't as if he could just go knocking in the middle of the night. They weren't friends.

So he went to bed.

But as Sasuke lay on the mattress, his comforter bundled at his feet, he couldn't stop thinking that perhaps he could have done something.

However, wouldn't that mean that he was condoning what she did? He could only tolerate what she did because she hadn't done it to him. The fact that he was helping her didn't matter so much because that had been his decision before he knew anything about her.

Sasuke rested an arm on his forehead and stared up at his ceiling. Knowing, helping, accepting…what was the difference anyway when just the thought that she was crying robbed him of sleep?

* * *

What a man reads is a reflection of who he is. Or so her cousin Neji always disdainfully grumbled whenever he sees Kiba's book collection…or lack thereof.

Hinata had not truly taken her cousin's contempt towards her ex-fiance to heart because Neji was just like that. And she didn't really believe on measuring a person by what's on their bookshelf. Some people just didn't like to read.

However, Sasuke definitely did, judging by the fair amount of tomes neatly arranged on his shelf. It was packed from end to end, top to bottom, by arrays of books from different subjects. Seeing his book collection, Hinata couldn't help but remember Neji's adage…

And couldn't stop herself from perusing the books.

Sasuke had a wide collection of them, especially non-fiction books. They ranged from philosophy, to history, to biographies (Hinata noted these were all of famous businessmen and scientists), and then to guides and manuals. There were also a scattering of textbooks on business management as well as a handful of poetry and fiction books, mostly of Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Hinata picked up a particularly worn looking volume; it was a little thicker than the rest, with many creases on its spine. "War and Peace," Hinata read aloud the title emblazoned in gold cursive on the cover.

She remembered having read this book once. It was for a term paper on literature class. She also remembered that she had no taste for it, what with its dark realism. Hinata leafed through the pages, starting from the back. Somehow though, she could see why Sasuke would like a book like this, which has the air of a historical text more than a fiction book.

When she got to the front, Hinata stopped flipping the pages when she saw a written note on the front back cover. It appeared to be a note written for Sasuke. She knew it was wrong to snoop but couldn't help herself anyway, and began to read.

_Dear Sasuke,_

_Happy Birthday! I know you already read this book but I didn't know what to give you. So! I decided I'd buy you the latest translation of your favorite novel! Aren't I great? Anyway, take care of yourself while I'm gone. I wish we could have spent more time together on your birthday, but I'll email you once I get back._

_All my love,_

_Sakura_

_P.S.  
Don't go getting into another fight with Naruto okay? I don't want to return home and find you two sporting bruises again!_

Hinata eyebrows furrowed in thought. This 'Sakura' again. And it looked like Naruto also knew her. However, Hinata had known Naruto for two years, and not once had he mentioned a woman named Sakura.

Then again, in those span of two years, he also had not mentioned knowing Sasuke. Which was strange, come to think of it…

Hinata scanned the letter again, determining that the three, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke, were close before. What could have happened, she wondered, to make someone like Naruto neglect to mention these two's existence in his life? Naruto, who was so vocal about everything, Hinata (and everyone who knew him for that matter) knows that his wallet was called Gama-chan and his pet plant was named Mr. Ukki.

* * *

Miles away, back in Konoha, Itachi was sitting at his desk when his telephone rang. It was in the direct line so he knew it was an important call.

Plus, the caller id was someone he knew.

"Yes?" He said into the receiver.

Itachi's expression clouded over as he listened to the other side. "Has anyone else been notified? Yes, that's good. I want you to make sure it remains that way."

He listened again. "No. You won't have to do anything. I will handle it."

Itachi put the receiver down and steepled his fingers, his eyes narrowed at nothing in particular. "Sasuke, what are you playing at?" he murmured to himself.

.

.

.

* * *

**A/N:**

Once again, a huge thank you to those who have reviewed the last chapter! **justsukiya**, **UchihaMistress723**, **Saki-Hime**, **bunnyboo1612**, **imatwilightfan**, **Wannabe-Temari**, **blablabla**, **Syd monster12**, **ProjXPsyClone -psyiNoheart**, **FallenRaindrops**, **blackirishawk**, **AdayOncedawned**, and **Ayamichan34**! Expect a PM from me if you posted any questions in your reviews :)

Thanks for reading!


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